Blogging, as it turns out, is a lot like owning a car.
Most people are perfectly content to pick out a general style and color that suits them. Most people approach WordPress themes the same way. They pick one, maybe customize it a little, and then contentedly blog their little hearts out.
Then there are the gear-heads. The car enthusiasts. The ones who want something completely different from anything else that’s ever been done before. These are the people who all eventually ask themselves the same question when it comes to WordPress: To use a Premium Theme or not.
My answer: premium – if you have the time, knowledge, and (sometimes) wads of cash to throw at it.
Premium themes are great. They have all sorts of crazy built-in options that most WordPress themes can only dream of. Two of my favorite examples are Thesis and Thematic. Thesis will set you back $70-150 depending on if you just have a single site or if you’re a developer. Thematic is free. Like most paid options, Thesis is light-years ahead of Thematic. Both have all sorts of widget areas and options and functions that can be added to make your site like no other. Both also require you to do most of the CSS and styling work yourself. Thesis is somewhat easier to leave unmodified, whereas Thematic takes a more sandbox approach.
The downside: the premium cost, the time involved, and the expertise involved.
Non-Premium themes can sometimes give you a great advantage: a head-start on a new design. Premium themes usually have a lot of customization options, but usually involving heavy delves into the CSS or PHP behind the scenes (Thesis’s hooks, for example). Non-Premium themes usually put you in a good spot to tweak only a little CSS or a little PHP to get the desired look. This is a great learning tool for new developers and new themers – heck, it’s how I got started.
The downside: the lack of customization, the grody feeling of modding someone else’s code, SSDS (same s**t different site).
The most important thing is having fun with the option you choose. It may sound kind of funny, but I always feel REALLY limited when I work with Thesis – it does too much for me. Some days I’m perfectly content to build a new site from an existing theme. Whatever you choose, have fun!
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Great article Nick. Its definitely true that when you are choosing how to implement a WordPress theme you need to think about what kind of customization options you need and how much code manipulation you will need to do. Personally I like to build my Themes from hand but any starter theme is a great advantage to those who just need to set-up a simple theme without knowing much code or start learning the basics.
Well written Nick, you make some great points to consider when selecting the best WordPress Theme for the project. I am a Thesis proponent myself, I love the flexibility and design options available from the admin dashboard without having to modify the code all the time. Want 2 columns or 3, left side, right side, no problem, its just a click away.
Thanks Matt and WP Coop Admin – I appreciate the discussion!
You build themes completely from scratch, Matt? You don’t even use a sandbox? That’s cool – and a real demonstration of the extremes between the two mentalities – some people LOVE to do it themselves. Others love the WYSIWYG approach…
For me – it’s how much I’m billing the client, what I’ve promised, and how interested I am in the project.
Nick. I do develop my themes from scratch most of the time (although I like to start with the Starkers Development Package http://elliotjaystocks.com/starkers/ ), because it helps me just cut through de-coding the CSS theme and often makes the process faster (atleast for me). Although if a client needs a cheeper solution I help recommend basic templates to start from.
I’ve thought about building a few “naked” themes for developing and establishing a few decent frameworks from were I can architect a unique client solution and focus on the design around the functionality, or is it function b4 design?
@Nick Its come to my attention that one of my business associates is a big fan of yours and your work. He spoke very highly of you today. (Mike O’Neil of Integrated Alliances)
Jayson,
Glad to hear it!
I checked out your blog, nice mod on Thesis.
I like the idea of function before design, but you have to remember to use grid-based design so you don’t shoot yourself in the foot down the road. I have a bunch of template pages for Thematic ready to go, so customization is really easy; a naked theme isn’t really that important for me. Thesis can do the same thing.
-Nick Armstrong
Great article nick. Ive been toying with the thought of a layout or theme change for my blog for quite some time, but read today to pick one thing and not mess with it or change it too much. Taking that advice, I feel like it’s a fairly monumental decision to pick a theme, and dont want to pick the wrong one. I dont know much coding, so I think building one is out of the question. Thanks for the recommendations with the thesis and thematic themes. I’ll have to look into each of them.
Jeff –
Picking a theme is not THAT monumental. I changed themes at least once a week on my first blog. Now, once a year. You have to live and learn, pick one that you really like, one that you can manage, and then switch as the situation comes up.
But do plenty of testing before you switch – it’s the switching at whim that leads to disaster.
If you don’t know much coding, Thesis is probably your best bet. You can get almost everything done within the admin menus. Thematic takes a little bit more programming and prodding to get things where they need to go. Also, try searching for “free premium themes” and try to skin ‘em if you’re good with graphics. Those can sometimes be timesavers.
Thanks for the comment!
-Nick